RECIFE — Caricatures can sometimes cross the line. But world leaders, who are always the center of attention, tend to get used to unflattering satirical portraits. But two former Brazilian Presidents embroiled in corruption scandals, Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff, have become targets of a different — literal — sort. As daily Folha de S. Paulo reports, a shooting range in the northeastern city of Recife has been using caricature drawings of the two leftist leaders as shooting targets.
The Lula cartoon, a favorite among opponents and often featured on signs in anti-corruption demonstrations, shows the former president dressed in a prison uniform. The Workers’ Party that has been led by the two former presidents denounced the practice this week as “incitement to homicide.” Some on social media have noted that current president, Michel Temer, who’s also ensnared in a corruption scandal, could have his own target.
Vinicius Delatorre, one of the directors of the “Sniper” chain, explained that “thematic targets’ are common, including such images as the Joker, Deadpool or Minions. Lula or Dilma, he said, “are just characters like any other.” But having come under fire, as it were, Sniper’s branch in Recife decided to remove the two presidential targets. The reason? They risked creating a “bad image” for the company.